Food Disorder(s)

The media, our friends, BOYS and GIRLS alike, and sometimes even our parents constantly tell us what, how, and who to look like.

To be clear, this is not another rant of anger toward society's standards of beauty and how they should be changed. It is a story, like many stories before it, aiding our understanding on food disorders. More specifically, it is advice on how to encounter this taunting and torturing giant that is our diet.

There is a simple approach to defeating food disorders which is to be healthy. Shocking, I know. But as an advocate for healthy living and someone who formerly struggled with food disorders, it is necessary to understand how powerful it is to listen to one's body. I know how hard it can be to eat when there is self loathing and struggling with one's reflection, but my experiences have taught me that most problems come from an unhealthy mind. I’m sure doctors and friends have said it, just eat or stop binge eating or even the "You seem healthy to me" which only sets one's body on a trend to continue a cycle of bad eating. Most people only notice you the gaining or loss of weight, but seldom can anyone observe the mental struggle. There are also cases in which the body does not show a (large or small extreme) change therefor nobody notices at all.

Yet, the disorder comes from a mentality that is and can be quite difficult to overcome. It comes in the guilt after a cookie every month or the crying after eating a whole avocado because of the calories. It is an obsession with how one looks without paying attention to or actively ignoring how one feels. The best way to achieve a healthy body is by switching gears in the mind. At least, that is what I confess worked for me when overcoming the struggles with my diet and disorder.

The best advice I gave myself was to not step on the scale, eat when I was really hungry, eating foods that gave me energy and staying active. I would also remind myself that the mirror was only half of me, it was not the me that everyone sees, therefor my perception was distorted. I began to tell myself, aloud or quietly, how I was trying to be strong, I was beautiful because I was strong. I realized my confidence was also a large part of what made me beautiful to others.

A large portion of the reason I wanted to write an article about food disorders was not just to share my experience, but also to reveal the authentic ways one can choose to overcome their struggle. As many know, it is a sore and often disclosed topic of discussion, not many people want to ask for help, and not many people are there to help those who struggle with a mental disorder. According to an article published by the UNC School of Medicine, "75 percent of women report disordered eating behaviors or symptoms consistent with eating disorders; so three out of four have an unhealthy relationship with food or their bodies." There is an entire world of psychological concepts and medical information that can be discussed, addressed, and argued which is useful in its own way in opening the dialogue for food disorders. Though important, that is not what I wanted as the focal point for this article. I agree, it is important to address facts and observe data but often times it is important to deliver words in the way of storytelling.

I think the most useful information I got on how to overcome my issues was built on the foundation of experimenting with my own methods and talking with those who felt a similar relationship with food. My way of living a healthy lifestyle was to slowly wean myself off of my obsession with weight and appearances. It is far more rewarding working out with energy from a healthy meal that gives our bodies the nutrients it craves. I discovered how well I could integrate food into my world of things to be excited about, instead of dread. My mind stopped thinking of food as a source of despair or a weight in my life's pack. Food was a buddy, a helping hand and an inspiration for me to become a much happier persona. I would eat and feel like working out because I had so much energy. I could see my muscles growing and the second I stepped on the scale my mind would scream. I was heavier than I had ever been, yet, I felt the best I had ever felt. I decided, for now, the scale was not my friend. My checklists and personal goals were the things I would focus on. Eating and working out worked together, I did not workout to lose weight. I worked out to be strong and that change in my perception had me hiking trails at seven in the morning with a smile on my face. Our minds are boggling, bizarre and capable of far more than any one person can expect. Believe it or not, food is your friend and it will make you happy. Your body will have energy because calories are just that.

From one "recovered" person to another, I understand how frustrating it is to try your hardest working out and not seeing change; thinking that manipulating your diet is going to make you happier because you will be thin. I realized my weight will fluctuate as does everything in our world. The Earth will have floods and droughts in search of a happy medium and humans are just the same, we come from the same stuff. We are much more in control than we think, and although it feels impossible to be happy, eating well and using that energy for activities that bring joy, will deliver homeostasis.